Aircraft passenger seats such as side facing seats and divans can include a shoulder harness to limit the amount of head and torso movement. For example, a shoulder harness can be pulled over the shoulder and placed across the chest to help reduce occupant movement, better protect the neck, and prevent head impact on adjacent monuments or furniture.
Airbag technology has recently been applied to passenger restraints in automobiles to improve the performance of such restraints. Conventional restraints for automobiles, however, are typically wound on inertia reels near to or adjacent to the side of the seat, for example, in the B-pillar. In an aircraft, it may not be possible to house the restraint in the structure adjacent to the seat because of the lack of such structures in certain seating arrangements.
For aviation seating, there is a need for an inflatable restraint configured to be mounted to a seat itself. There is also a need for an inflatable shoulder harness configured for free movement during belt fastening and retraction. There is also a need for an inflatable shoulder harness that integrates into the seat to provide an aesthetic stowage solution typical of luxury finishing of seats and divans.